On Campus

A snow day smash: McGill24 raises nearly $1.4 million

Even a massive Montreal snowstorm couldn't derail McGill24, McGill's second annual day of giving set a new record for the most money raised by a Canadian university in a 24-hour period.

Story by Katie Mullen

March 2017

One McGill24 event that wasn’t affected by Montreal’s big snowstorm was held in Toronto. Participants included (top left to right) Jamie Lee Rogers, BA’13, Allison Aab, MBA’10, Connor Bays, BA’12 (bottom left to right), Tang Choy, BSc’09, Stephanie Tombari, BCom’09, and Keeley Simpson, BCom’09 (Photo: McGill Alumni Association of Toronto)

A group of McGill24 participants dressed in event swag

Mother Nature may have played a cruel, late winter trick on Montreal and McGill, forcing the University to cancel classes for the first time since the ice storm of 1998. But that didn’t stop McGill alumni, faculty, staff, students and parents from banding together online to support McGill24, the University’s second annual day of giving, which on Wednesday, March 15, raised $1.39 million – the most money ever raised by a Canadian university in a 24-hour period. In all, the University received nearly 3,500 gifts.

In last year’s inaugural campaign, McGill24 raised $793,000 from 1,641 donations.

A digital fundraising initiative, McGill24 played out primarily on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the web, where alumni and other McGill supporters showed how they were proud to be affiliated with the University through photos and videos using the hashtag #McGillProud.

Well-known alumni like Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Heil, BCom’13, six-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Dryden, LLB’73, food writer and Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, BA’98, and Cirque du Soleil chairman Mitch Garber, BA’86, shared their thoughts on how their time at McGill helped shape their lives and careers through their own videos.

Participants from around the world gave generously in support of student programs, academic faculties, libraries and more. New to this year’s campaign were challenge funds and matching gift commitments, all of which were met, releasing thousands of additional dollars.

While much of the campaign occurred online – #McGill24 was a top-trending Twitter topic in Montreal – there were also McGill24 celebrations in restaurants and pubs in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, London, Washington and San Francisco. And while the snow may have curtailed activity on the downtown and MacDonald campuses, it couldn’t prevent people from getting onto social media and joining in.

“This is an incredible achievement and a confirmation of the power of the McGill community when it comes together,” says Gabrielle Korn, executive director of the McGill Alumni Association. “After the success of last year’s inaugural edition of McGill24, we knew we would try again, but this result is beyond even our highest expectations. We are deeply grateful to all the graduates, faculty, staff and friends of McGill who gave so generously to make this happen. We really are McGill Proud.”

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